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Let me preface by saying that I neither read the books or watched the tv show when I was a kid. It wasn't something I shared with my mother or discovered as a seven year old at the library, so I have absolutely no nostalgia over the Little House series. As such, I take great issue with the blatant racism, from Ma's "The only good Indian is a dead Indian" to the black doctor who thinks malaria is caused by watermelons. These books are very problematic, even before you get into the issue of Rose Wilder Lane helping her mother with the writing and likely influencing the story with her libertarian views to make the Ingalls come across even more as pulled up by our bootstraps types.

This book is a great book that really is great to begin a discussion about the history of settlement in the Americas and the plight of the natives that were forced off their land. It is also really gets into the nitty gritty of life on the prairie and how settlers survived in an isolated area.

The adventures for the Ingalls family continue in this second book of the "Little House on the Prairie" series. From the big woods of Wisconsin, the Ingalls travel to a new home on the prairies of Kansas. Life as a pioneer can be both exciting and tough, and Wilder's book offers a wonderfully entertaining look into a lifestyle from long ago.

Little House on the Prairie is a classic I'll always remember. I wanted to read something a bit different and found this to be very refreshing. The title is little house on the Prairie but it is what happens inside the house, the adventures, the lessons learnt, the grief they felt. In this novel, a family has to leave their big house in the woods of Wisconsin and move to their prairies. There they go through challenges such as having to build their own house. The story revolves around the coming of age of a little girl named Laura. She is not the perfect girl, she is stubborn and fights with her older sister Mary but she is very passionate and loyal. I really loved Laura she was such a fun character to read because her perspective on things was childish and innocent. She felt real emotions she got bored, frustrated and excited all which we as humans can relate to. Although this book takes place in the 19th century, there are many issues we still face today such as jealousies and lifetime friendships, suffering and triumph, death and birth. I would recommend these books to people 11 and older because it is fascinating to read about how people dealt with every day struggles we don't even think about today. For example, I found it amazing how all of their clothes were hand sewn. I also felt like they dealt with their problems with a fresh optimism and ease, something we don't see much of today. Even thought they had faced so many struggles, their life was simple. They got up when the sun did, and slept when it was dark. They always worked to get what they wanted and helped one another out. I feel like some of the morals have been lost over time, and we need books like these to remind us.

The entire Little House on the Prairie series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder is amazing.

Do not let the television show mislead you as it was so vastly different than the truth and from their real lives, it shouldn't have had the same title. The behaviour of the characters in this show would have been incomprehensible back in Laura's time.

I highly recommend the entire series to any and all ages. It is so wonderful to read about such a loving and supportive family.

It is very interesting to learn of the way of life back then when the U.S. was being taken over by white settlers - even to learn how racist Ma was to go so far as to say, "The only good Indian is a dead Indian" as they built a house on Indian Territory.

Pa had the best sense to not war with the Indians. He was respectful to them and thus the Chief he treated well, ended up saving their lives as other tribes were insistent on going to war but this leader was the one that stopped them all - So much for Ma's theory!

It is also educational to learn the ways they lived in a simpler time. I was astounded how they would iron and starch their clothes even while camping!

7Liberty7
May 22, 2013

The Little House series are among my favorite books! They're really simple but provide so much insight into the lives of the pioneers. I really love them!

Summary

The Ingalls family moved from the Big Woods of Wisconsin to Kansas in 1868 (stopping for a while in Rothville, Missouri), and lived there between 1869 and 1870. Baby Carrie was born there in August, and a few weeks after her birth, they were forced to leave the territory (however, in the novel, Carrie is present during the move to Kansas). The Ingalls family moved back to Wisconsin where they lived the next four years. In 1874 they started for Walnut Grove, Minnesota, stopping for a while in Lake City, Minnesota.
Although Wilder states that Charles Ingalls had been told that the Kansas territory would soon be up for settlement, their homestead was on the Osage Indian reservation and Charles' information was incorrect. The Ingalls family had no legal right to occupy their homestead, and once informed of their error, left the territory despite the fact that they had only just begun farming it. Several of their neighbors stayed and fought the decision.

Notices

Other:This title does NOT contain coarse language, violence or sexual content. It is a children's title and is appropriate for ALL ages and ALL maturity levels, from the youngest child to the very oldest reader.